Plant maintenanace method and apparatus
First Claim
1. An apparatus for maintaining plant equipment comprising:
- an input unit configured to receive data on inspection, diagnosis, repair and operation histories for an equipment that constitute a plant;
a failure-event tree breakdown unit configured to perform failure-event tree breakdown on failures to be expected for component parts of the equipment, in order to obtain a failure-event tree;
a probabilistic life assessment unit configured to predict unreliability of a starting event in the failure-event tree;
a failure-unreliability function calculation unit configured to calculate unreliability between items in the failure-event tree;
a failure-derived monetary loss calculation unit configured to multiply each unreliability and a cost of recovery from each failure-event in the failure-event tree and accumulate results of the multiplication in accordance with the failure-event tree breakdown, thus obtaining a recovery cost;
a preventive-maintenance expense calculation unit configured to calculate preventive maintenance expenses for preventing failure events; and
a maintenance decision-making unit configured to decide maintenance timing and technique through comparison between the recovery cost and the preventive maintenance expenses.
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Accused Products
Abstract
Entered in a plant-maintenance apparatus are data on inspection, diagnosis, repair and operation histories for equipment that constitute a plant to be maintained. Failure-event tree breakdown is performed on failures to be expected for the equipment. Predicted is unreliability of at least one starting item in the failure-event tree breakdown. Unreliability of each item in the failure-event tree is calculated based on failure unreliability function. Unreliability and a cost of recovery from each failure event in the failure-event tree are multiplied and results of the multiplication are accumulated in accordance with the tree breakdown, thus obtaining a recovery cost. Preventive maintenance expenses are calculated for preventing failure events. Maintenance timing and technique are decided through comparison between the recovery cost and the preventive maintenance expenses. Instead of the failure-event tree breakdown, efficiency and operational-function decay event-tree breakdown may be performed on efficiency and operational-function decay factors to be expected for the equipment. Predicted in this case is unreliability of at least one starting item in the efficiency and operational-function decay event-tree breakdown. Unreliability of each item in the efficiency and operational-function decay-event tree breakdown is calculated based on failure unreliability function. Further calculated is efficiency and operational-function decay to be expected from the calculation based on the failure unreliability function. Unreliability and monetary loss due to efficiency and operational-function decay and a cost of recovery from the decay are multiplied and results of the multiplication are accumulated in accordance with the efficiency and operational-function decay-event tree breakdown. Preventive maintenance expenses are calculated for preventing the efficiency and operational-function decay.
63 Citations
12 Claims
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1. An apparatus for maintaining plant equipment comprising:
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an input unit configured to receive data on inspection, diagnosis, repair and operation histories for an equipment that constitute a plant;
a failure-event tree breakdown unit configured to perform failure-event tree breakdown on failures to be expected for component parts of the equipment, in order to obtain a failure-event tree;
a probabilistic life assessment unit configured to predict unreliability of a starting event in the failure-event tree;
a failure-unreliability function calculation unit configured to calculate unreliability between items in the failure-event tree;
a failure-derived monetary loss calculation unit configured to multiply each unreliability and a cost of recovery from each failure-event in the failure-event tree and accumulate results of the multiplication in accordance with the failure-event tree breakdown, thus obtaining a recovery cost;
a preventive-maintenance expense calculation unit configured to calculate preventive maintenance expenses for preventing failure events; and
a maintenance decision-making unit configured to decide maintenance timing and technique through comparison between the recovery cost and the preventive maintenance expenses. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5)
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6. An apparatus for maintaining plant equipment comprising:
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an input unit configured to receive data on inspection, diagnosis, repair and operation histories for equipment that constitute a plant;
an efficiency and operational-function decay-event tree breakdown unit configured to perform efficiency and operational-function decay-event tree breakdown on efficiency and operational-function decay factors to be expected for the equipment, in order to make an efficiency and operational-function decay-event tree;
an efficiency and operational-function decay parameter assessment unit configured to predict unreliability of at least one starting item in the efficiency and operational-function decay-event tree;
an efficiency and operational-function decay unreliability calculation unit configured to calculate unreliability of each item in the efficiency and operational-function decay-event tree based on failure unreliability function;
an efficiency and operational-function decay prediction unit to calculate efficiency and operational-function decay configured to be expected based on prediction by the efficiency and operational-function decay unreliability calculation unit;
an efficiency and operational-function decay derived monetary loss calculation unit configured to multiply each unreliability and monetary loss due to efficiency and operational-function decay and a cost of recovery from the decay and accumulate results of the multiplication in accordance with the efficiency and operational-function decay-event tree breakdown;
a preventive-maintenance expense calculation unit configured to calculate preventive maintenance expenses for preventing the efficiency and operational-function decay; and
an operation and maintenance decision-making unit configured to decide maintenance timing and technique through comparison between the recovery cost and the preventive maintenance expenses. - View Dependent Claims (7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. A method of maintaining plant equipment comprising the steps of:
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receiving data on inspection, diagnosis, repair and operation histories for equipment that constitute a plant;
performing failure-event tree breakdown on failures to be expected for the equipment, thereby obtaining a failure-event tree;
predicting unreliability of at least one starting item in the failure-event tree;
calculating unreliability of each item in the failure-event tree based on a failure unreliability function;
multiplying each unreliability and a cost of recovery from each failure event in the failure-event tree and accumulating results of the multiplication in accordance with the tree breakdown, thus obtaining a recovery cost;
calculating preventive maintenance expenses for preventing failure events; and
deciding maintenance timing and technique through comparison between the recovery cost and the preventive maintenance expenses.
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12. A method of maintaining plant equipment comprising the steps of:
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receiving data on inspection, diagnosis, repair and operation histories for equipment that constitute a plant;
performing efficiency and operational-function decay event-tree breakdown on efficiency and operational-function decay factors to be expected for the equipment, thereby obtaining a efficiency and operational-function decay event-tree;
predicting unreliability of at least one starting item in the efficiency and operational-function decay event-tree;
calculating unreliability of each item in the efficiency and operational-function decay-event tree based on failure unreliability function;
calculating efficiency and operational-function decay to be expected from the calculation based on the failure unreliability function;
multiplying each unreliability and monetary loss due to efficiency and operational-function decay and a cost of recovery from the decay and accumulating results of the multiplication in accordance with the efficiency and operational-function decay-event tree breakdown;
calculating preventive maintenance expenses for preventing the efficiency and operational-function decay; and
deciding maintenance timing and technique through comparison between the recovery cost and the preventive maintenance expenses.
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Specification